THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY is one of those films that has been criminally underseen and that needs to be seen (instead of talked about) in order to be appreciated. If anyone other than Marlon Brando had been in it (which was the original plan) it would have fared much better critically and commercially. This is not to say that Brando is bad, in fact his performance looks even better now than it did when the film was first released. It’s just that he always carries so much critical baggage with him (being pilloried for making films critics considered beneath him) that only in recent years can a film like NIGHT be re-evaluated and enjoyed.
The director, Hubert Cornfield, had a difficult time with Brando and was fired with two weeks to go. Co-star Richard Boone finished the picture. Be warned that the DVD commentary attributed to Cornfield on some DVDs is actually Brando himself (which is why it sounds like an electronic voice box) and has now been withdrawn from all future editions. Just Marlon having his little joke at his own expense and giving another great performance in the process.
The story is a simple and familiar one. A young heiress (Pamela Franklin) is kidnapped by 4 people and stashed away in a small beach house on the French coast. The kidnappers are an odd lot headed up by the ineffectual Wally (Jess Hahn). The others consist of uncertain chauffeur Bud (Brando), his drugged out girl friend Vi (Rita Moreno), and their sadistic henchman Leer (Richard Boone). These people are all losers and you just know that things will go from bad to worse. How they do and what ultimately happens are what keep you watching.
What adds an extra dimension are Stanley Myers’ background jazz score and the overall look especially the surreal Magritte like final confrontation between Brando and Boone (who is complete with bowler hat and umbrella). The ending is what it is because Brando refused to cooperate but it manages to be creepy anyway although some people will hate it. As a minor exercise in style with an underrated Brando performance and a terrifying one from Boone, NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY deserves another look.
The Capsule Critic 